It all starts before birth

Here at Sunflower Genetics, when we talk about bull
development it isn't just about feeding the bulls for a couple of months prior
to the sale. No, when we think about our bulls and the genetics we want
to offer to our customers we want to provide the most problem free purchase
possible. We achieve this goal by starting with good cows. Maternal
traits such as calf vigor, mothering ability and udder quality are of utmost
importance at Sunflower. Then bull
development begins with selecting AI sires and herd sires. Countless hours are spent researching possible
sires to make sure they fit our needs and most importantly our customer’s
needs.

A profitable calf crop begins with a live calf on the ground; therefore, Calving
Ease and Birth Weight are major selection criteria. Bulls must rank at
least above breed average for each trait and we strive to use bulls that are in
the top 25 percentile for both. Once the calf is born it is paramount
that added pounds follow. As such growth
traits are taken into account and especially Weaning Weight EPD. The combination of a higher number of live
calves sent to pasture and added weight gained through the summer grazing
season due to superior genetics increases the odds of a more profitable calf
crop year after year after year.

Summer Pasture

We operate our operation with the commercial cattleman in
mind and therefore our cows are managed in a similar fashion. The cows
spend the entire summer grazing native pasture located in the Kansas Flint
Hills raising their calf with no assistance from creep feed or supplemental
nutrition. We strive to have the cow
herd grazing as many months as possible. To achieve this goal cool season grasses are
utilized to extend the grazing season, keeping the cow herd self-sufficient on
a limited amount of harvested feed stuffs.

Our cow herd health is under the supervision of Dr. Karl Lukert of St. Marys
Veterinary Services. The comprehensive
health program not only insures the cow herd can produce to an optimum level, but
our customers can be confident the bulls they purchase are healthy and ready to
work.

Weaning Program

We pride ourselves on trying to keep calves together at
weaning and thereafter. The goal is to achieve maximum accuracy in
measuring performance within consistent contemporary groups. Large groups that have been together since
birth are kept together to gather the most valuable data we can provide you to
aid in your selections. Performance data
is of considerable value to find the best genetics, providing you with the best
genetics possible.

As with the cow herd, health is under the supervision of Dr. Lukert. Pre-weaning shots followed with a booster at
weaning gets the calves started right and off to a good start.

Cost efficient gains are of great value to us and you as a customer of
Sunflower genetics. Our rations are based on utilizing home grown feed stuffs
supplemented with by products.

Post Weaning Development and Selection

As already noted our bull selection starts before birth and
is a constant process every step of the way. Selection begins at birth and some
calves are eliminated as potential sires before going to summer grass of birth
weight, health, and any other type of problem that may have occurred. After weaning the data is scrutinized and more
calves are removed from the bull group based mostly on performance over the
summer. After weaning selection for
soundness, disposition, and phenotype is a constant process while walking
through the bulls, almost on a daily basis. More bulls are eliminated every step of the
process up until sale day, no bull is safe from getting "cut" from
the team. We constantly ask ourselves:
Would we use the bull on our own cows? If
the answer is no, he is steered.

Striving to have the bulls grow and express their potential, but not get fat,
is our main goal in developing bulls for our customers. We do not want to buy over-fat bulls ourselves
and do not feel you do either. Ideally, the bulls gain around 3 pounds a day.
This is enough for comparison in the groups, but keeps the bulls from getting too
fat. We know the bulls can gain more, but the race to have the biggest yearling
weight or highest ADG is not as important as providing you with a bull that
will last for many years and be a good investment for your cowherd.